1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a process for preparing a non-conductive substrate for electroless plating. In particular, this invention relates to a process for preparing the through hole walls of a printed wiring board (PWB) for electroless plating.
2. Description of Related Art
For the past quarter century the printed wiring board industry has relied on the electroless copper deposition process to prepare through hole walls in printed wiring boards for electroplating. These plated through hole walls are necessary to achieve connections between two metal circuit patterns on each side of a printed wiring board or, in addition to this, between the inner layer circuit patterns of a multilayer board.
The electroless deposition of copper onto the through hole walls typically consists of precleaning a PWB and then processing according to the following flow diagram: ##STR1## These processed boards may also be photoimaged before the electroplating process. Typically, the deposited copper layer on each through hole wall is about 1.+-.0.2 mil thick.
Conventional electroless processes have several commercial disadvantages. They require a relatively long process time. The multiple treatment baths have complex chemistry which may require constant monitoring and individual ingredients which may require separate replenishment. The palladium/tin activator and the electroless copper also may require expensive waste treatment. Furthermore, these electroless process baths may be very sensitive to contamination. Finally, the multiplicity of rinse baths may require large amounts of water.
Prior to the electroless method of plating through holes, graphite was employed to prepare the walls of the through holes for plating. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,099,608, which issued to Radovsky et al on July 30, 1963, teaches a process for preparing the through hole walls of printed circuit boards for electroplating by initially depositing in said through holes a thin electrically non-conductive film of palladium metal in at least a semi-colloidal form. The patent discloses that graphite had been used previously as a conductive layer for electroplating thereon. See column 1, lines 63-70 and column 4, line 72 to column 5, line 11. These patentees noted several defects with that graphite process including lack of control of the graphite application, poor deposit of the resultant electroplated metal, non-uniform through hole diameters, and low electrical resistance of the graphite.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,163,588, which issued to Shortt et al on Dec. 29, 1964, also mentions that graphite or its equivalents may be employed to render through hole walls of electric circuit boards conductive for later electroplating metals thereon. See column 3, line 45 to column 4, line 2.
Separately, graphite has been employed in numerous processes for preparing a non-conducting material for a metal coating or plating. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 409,096, which issued to Alois Blank on Aug. 13, 1889, teaches a process for applying copper to asbestos roofing material which comprises first applying powdered plumbago (graphite) in a volatile liquid such as varnish to the surface of the asbestos, then evaporating the volatile liquid to coat the asbestos fibers with fine particles of plumbago. The plumbago coated asbestos sheets are then immersed in a copper electroplating solution and electric current is applied to the coated asbestos sheet to form a thin film of copper thereon. The copper coated sheet is then immersed in a bath of molten metal such as tin, lead, or zinc, and is then removed from the molten bath to effect solidification of the molten metal. The resulting metal coated asbestos sheet is described as being relatively flexible, a non-conductor of heat and substantially fireproof.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,037,469, which issued to Goldberg on Sept. 3, 1912, and 1,352,331, which issued to Unno on Sept. 7, 1920, disclose processes for electroplating non-conducting materials by first coating the non-conducting material with wax, then coating the wax with a slurry of finely divided particles of graphite or other metal, followed by electroplating of the dust-coated surface with copper or other metal. Neither of these processes are particularly suitable for use in coating the hole walls of circuit boards because the holes are normally extremely narrow in diameter and immersing in wax would tend to plug the hole and prevent coating the hole walls with an electroplating material.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,243,429, which issued to Laux on May 27, 1941, discloses a process for electroplating a non-conductive surface by "graphiting" a thin layer onto the non-conducting surface followed by applying a copper layer electrolytically and "finally a further electrolytic deposit of another metal" is placed thereon.
Separately, carbon black formulations have been employed as conductive coatings for non-conductive materials. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,035,265, which issued to Saunders on July 12, 1977, discloses conductive paint compositions containing both graphite and carbon black along with air-hardenable binder. These paints are suitable for application to the walls of a building for use as a heating element.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,090,984, which issued to Lin et al on May 23, 1978, teaches a semi-conductive coating for glass fibers comprising (a) a polyacrylate emulsion; (b) electrically conductive carbon black dispersion and (c) a thixotropic gelling agent. The conductive carbon black dispersions employed are those comprising electrically conductive carbon black dispersed in from about 3 to about 4 percent by weight of a suitable dispersing agent.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,239,794, which issued to Allard on Dec. 16, 1980, teaches dispersing a conductive carbon black in a latex binder with a selected dispersing agent, then impregnating this carbon black dispersion into a non-woven fibrous web followed by drying any residual water, leaving a thin coating of carbon black dispersed on the surfaces of said fibers.
There is a need at the present time for a more reliable and less expensive preparative process for electroless plating of non-conductive surfaces. In addition, there is a need for an improved electroless plating technique for applying uniform continuous metal surfaces on the through hole walls of printed wiring boards to provide more effective electrical contact between the conducting layers of the printed wiring board.
It is a primary object of this invention to provide an improved electroless plating process for non-conducting surfaces.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved electroless plating process for applying a conductive metal layer to the through hole walls of printed wiring boards.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a more economical and simplified process for applying a conductive metal layer to the surfaces of non-conducting layers of printed wiring boards than presently known electroless processes.